popn' cherries

… or have stage fright, or maybe a little bit of both.

Drop a beat and often you’ll find me somewhere bustin’ a move and dancing like a crazy person. But, believe it or not, my Achilles heel is the moment that someone announces that they will be recording or when the instructor separates us into groups to perform in front of each other. Anyone else share this camera or stage fright?

Take one look at my Instagram or Youtube videos and you would probably call me out and say I am full of sh*t. That if I was shy, why do I have so many videos to share? Well, to be honest, just because being filmed is my weakness, my fear, and my Achilles heel, I CHOOSE to persevere through it and obsessively work everyday to turn my weakness into strength.

“If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie

Did you know that Warren Buffet, the third wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $87.5 million, had a crippling fear of public speaking? Also, did you know that Uma Thurman was terrified to dance the twist scene with celebrated dancer, John Travolta, in the movie Pulp Fiction? Lastly, did you know that till this day Beyonce, Rihanna, and Katy Perry still experience performance and social anxiety? What all these inspirational people share in common is that they choose to take the steps to conquer their fears for the sake of their craft, their art, their business, and ultimately their passion.

How you choose to conquer your own fear is up to you. Go at your own pace and customize the steps so you can be successful. I face my fear of the camera and performance anxiety with a progressional approach (see below). It’s something I’m still working on every single day. By sharing with you, I hope this helps to spark ideas on how you can battle your own fears too:

1. Start with yourself

• The hardest judgment you’ll ever have to face is yourself.
• It’s a hard pill to swallow but I realized that the battle wasn’t actually the camera or performance anxiety itself. It was ME. Whenever I danced and faced the mirror, I lost myself in the dance, channeled Beyonce, and believed that I was a bad a*s killing every single move. But the moment someone gestured that they were going to record or when someone announced that the class was going to be separated into groups to perform (students who probably shared the same fears as I did), suddenly my bad a*s turned into a scary a*s. I second-guessed everything that I learned in that hour or two and my confidence just shattered. I said “Sayonara” to the everything I learned and literally ended up dancing the first 4-8 counts and then froze, forgetting all choreography.
• Start by building up your confidence. I’m insane. I do this by attending 2-3 classes/day. I work on learning the choreography and techniques, hearing and feeling the music, incorporating my own style, looking away from the mirror, and infusing bits of my own performance quality.
• Once you feel good about yourself and your abilities, jump right in and start recording!

2.  Battling the camera

• I voluntary record myself on my phone, flip the camera to prepare for recording, dim the phone’s backlight to the lowest point so I don’t concentrate on the recording, place the phone on the floor, press the record button, dance, and forget it’s even there. (Tip: If you try this, just make sure you have enough storage on your phone!)
• I’m all for reviewing your videos and self-critiquing with goals to make yourself better. But, DON’T over review your video too many times! You may self-sabotage your success and over analyze every little detail.
• Say YES to dancing when there’s an opportunity for recording. Even if you mess up or forget the choreography, be proud of the efforts you’re taking to better yourself each time. For example, I always go in knowing that I will participate when there’s a recording opportunity or if I decide to film myself. I muster up the courage, quickly practice the dance mentally/physically if possible beforehand, dance out the counts I know, and work harder to be the best version of me every single time. See the positives, not the negatives!

3. Stage Fright / Performance Anxiety

• Similar to recording, be active and get out there to conquer that fear! Even if you have to start and position yourself in the back row, just go for it! As time goes on, work on your confidence, challenge yourself, and move to the middle row, and then eventually to the front row.
• Identify the areas that make you nervous or what you feel needs improvement. For example, I draw a blank when we are about to perform and/or are going to be recorded. To overcome this, I try to take the first few seconds or minutes before then to physically and mentally practice the moves. If there’s no time to practice, I still jump right in and give it my all and work through the performance. Remember, dance is supposed to be fun and a healthy approach to staying active.
• Acknowledge your progress and be genuinely proud of it!

“Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” – Plato